The Memorial was dedicated in 1911 by George V and his first cousin, Wilhelm II of Germany, the two senior grandsons of Victoria. The sculptor was Sir Thomas Brock. It was completed with the installation of the final bronze statues in 1924. They were cast at Burton’s Foundy, Thames Ditton.
The surround was constructed by the architect Sir Aston Webb, from 2,300 tons of white marble. It is a Grade I listed building.
It has a large statue of Queen Victoria facing north-eastwards towards The Mall. The other sides of the monument feature dark patinated bronze statues of the Angel of Justice (facing north-westwards toward Green Park), the Angel of Truth (facing south-eastwards) and Charity facing Buckingham Palace. On the pinnacle is a statue of unclear entitlement and arguably relating both to 'Peace' and to 'Victory', with two seated figures (the subsidiary figures were given by the people of New Zealand).
The whole sculptural programme has a nautical theme, much like the rest of The Mall (Admiralty Arch, for example). This can be seen in the mermaids, mermen and the hippogriff, all of which are suggestive of the United Kingdom's naval power.
On 4 June 2012, the memorial formed the centrepiece of the stage for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Concert. It also held "Our Greatest Team Parade" on 10 September 2012.